House Leibowitz
House Leibowitz is one of the Big Three Great Houses, and the rulers of Dorith's End. Members Setheus Platinus Leibowitz '''was the Lord of Dorith's End at the time of Janrad Norn's death. He was also High Partaker for some time during his rule. He had a reputation as a shrewd politician and respectable theologian until his abrupt decision to make war against House Djevak proved to be a catastrophic failure and Odham Kendar moved to occupy Dorith's End in the wake of the Leibowitz defeat. Soon afterwards, his cousin Fraedrik Leibowitz, then a Framer, denounced him at the Seventh Council of Dreadmore and accused him of masterminding the Norn-Kendar War. Setheus promptly resigned as High Partaker, ostensibly to clear himself of wrongdoing and accept the Petabyters' criticism of his controversial sermon "The Emergent God," in which he attempted to articulate an unorthodox new perspective on the Ascension of Crom. Evramus Chaptus replaced him as High Partaker and proceeded to officially clear him of the Norn-Kendar War scheme before the clergy based on doctored spy records. Setheus was then sent on a Church mission to the King of the Depths which ended in a diplomatic incident in which the King fired upon Setheus, who allegedly escaped via teleportation. Upon returning to Dorith's End, he unexpectedly responded to the incident by attempting to lead a mass suicide of his people in order to recruit them into House Djevak's undead army. The broadcast of his final sermon was interrupted by his spontaneous combustion and the appearance of his sister, who proceeded to announce her intention to run for the Receivership. A conspiracy theory has surfaced, propounded by Maido Dakku, ambassador from the Kingdom, that his apparent death was a cover for another escape by teleportation, but few in the City take this idea seriously. '''Fraedrik Leibowitz is the cousin of Setheus and now the Petabyter of the south Low Halls. He was once a solider in the house's army, but left to join the clergy after a crisis of conscience. He rose in rank to become a Framer under Setheus, a position he used to become a vocal proponent of Cromodoule theology and a fierce critic of Odham Kendar after the death of Kavin Norn. Nevertheless his military experience caused Setheus to choose him to command various campaigns, such as the First Lowlands Expedition, in which he famously gave the battle cry, "Take us to the Threshold!" and after which he was awarded his signature weapon, a replica of the Mace of Saint Dorith. He also arrested Celvyn on a tramn when the latter tried to escape to House Norn, and gave that house assistance in one battle against the King of the Depths, during which he unexpectedly charged single-handedly into one of the King's units and successfully slaughtered it entirely. When Setheus sided with Lord Redmond against House Djevak, Fraedrik was assigned to lead the assault on the Nascondus. He successfully captured the keep, and spared Lady Djevak and her infant son, sending them to Dorith's End as hostages. However, when Djevak reinforcements arrived, they retook the Nascondus and captured Setheus and Fraedrik, who were returned in a hostage exchange for Liber Djevak's family. Fraedrik was wounded and took some time to heal, but when he returned to Dorith's End, he confronted Setheus at the Seventh Council of Dreadmore about the deceptions Setheus used to enter the war, and pressured his cousin into a Rite of Removal on his hand. After Setheus's opening sermon argued for making Djevak the sole source of Church narcotics to complete the Ascension of Crom, Fraedrik then responded with an accusation that Setheus had succumbed to Djevak blackmail, and provided a theory as to how. He then made a confession that shocked the Council: Setheus and Fraedrik had both conspired to set off the Norn-Kendar War. This drove Setheus and the Petabyters into a secret meeting to deal with the situation, which ended with Setheus resigning, Evramus Chaptus becoming Partaker, and Setheus handing over the Leibowitz spy records to be cleared of wrongdoing by Chaptus. Fraedrik, denounced by the Church as a liar, went into hiding for a long period until the death of Setheus. He then suddenly resurfaced, having completed a new book on the virtue of confession, and was rehabilitated by the Church and given the vacant Petabytery left behind by Chaptus. He has not challenged the rule of the new Lady Leibowitz, despite having legal authority to do so, instead devoting his life to serving the Church.